"Master, master?" Seeing Bai Haichen collapse to the ground, Fang Han called out several times, but there was no response. He hadn't expected this temporary master to die so abruptly.

Although their time together had been less than an hour, Bai Haichen had imparted much wisdom, broadening Fang Han's horizons and revealing the grandeur of the world beyond.

The supreme emperors, nations, dynasties, and the myriad people were but mere playthings in the hands of the immortal sects.

Fang Han felt a deep sense of loss for this master, who, in their brief time together, had made him understand the true nature of the world.

However, the task Bai Haichen had set before him was daunting. To steal the "Yu Hua Fei Sheng Jing" from the Yu Hua Sect and present it to the head of the Xingqiu Sect in exchange for great contributions, and then to have the head of the Xingqiu Sect resurrect him.

The heads of the ten immortal sects, with their power to shake the cosmos and turn the world upside down, could annihilate a nation or a dynasty with a mere flick of their fingers. Stealing from them was no simple feat. Even a lowly true disciple could reduce him to dust.

"First, I must bury Master, to avoid detection by the Fang family. If implicated, I too would face death. With a body trained to the realm of ten divine transformations, steel and iron bones that won't decay when buried, there's no risk of the body being damaged."

Fang Han concealed Bai Haichen's body and found a hoe to secretly dig a large hole by the river, where he buried his master.

The dark gold robe that adorned Bai Haichen's body was a treasure, woven from "golden silk," impervious to knives, guns, water, and fire, which now completely enveloped his body, untouched by the elements.

Once this was done, Fang Han breathed a sigh of relief.

As a lowly horse-tender in the Fang family, his status was humble, but he had some free time during the day to rest. His duties were not onerous, save for the occasional demands of the second miss, Fang Qingwei.

With his work completed and the sun high in the sky, it was already noon.

In just one morning, Fang Han's understanding of the world and his body had undergone a radical transformation. Without the heat emanating from his heart and the "Jiao Fu Huangquan Map" in his possession, he would have thought it all a dream.

The "Jiao Fu Huangquan Map," a relic of the great demon emperor of the demon sect, was an extraordinary magical treasure. But for now, Fang Han did not know its use, and it remained a mystery even to Bai Haichen, so he stored it away for the time being.

In the dead of night, when no one was around, Fang Han began his training.

Up!

With a grunt, he lifted a thirty-pound bluestone with both hands, squatting to the limit before leaping up with the force of a frog.

This was a Fang family method for building strength, "Golden Toad Diving," which greatly exercised the body's strength but was risky, potentially causing injury to those not adept in health. Fang Han, now reborn and transformed by the "Nine Orifices Golden Pill," feared no high-intensity training.

The pill, nestled at his heart, radiated warmth with every exertion, as if soaked in a warm bath, the pain melting away.

One, two, three, four...

Fang Han continued jumping, each time the exhaustion set in, the golden pill would release a heat that nourished every muscle.

After hundreds of jumps, Fang Han gritted his teeth and did not stop, then began to strike the hard stone with his fists with wild abandon!

Bang, bang, bang!

His fists collided with the mountain stone, each impact brutal and violent, like a mad bull, until blood and flesh flew, and the bones cracked with the threat of breaking. The sharp, heart-piercing pain almost made him faint, but he endured.

Once his hands were bloody and numb, he leaped up and delivered fierce kicks.

Boom, boom, boom!

His legs connected with the stone, swelling and bruising, the skin breaking.

Then he threw himself against the stone, every part of his body—back, arms, waist, abdomen, chest, neck—struck the unyielding rock, leaving him black and blue.

Whoosh!

Ignoring his injuries, Fang Han plunged into the dark river and swam, fighting the whirlpool currents.

Using every method of high-intensity training to destroy his body, this was a devilish regimen that even the Fang family disciples, nourished daily with ginseng and delicacies, could not endure.

More importantly, the will to endure such daily agony was rare.

Who could withstand the pain of dying every day? Yet Fang Han persisted.

The "Nine Orifices Golden Pill" at his heart provided a continuous flow of blood qi, and no matter how injured he became, after sleep, he awoke rejuvenated.

He knew that the more he was injured, the more he stimulated the power of the golden pill.

As his training intensified, he believed that one day the golden pill would be fully absorbed, and his body would be truly formidable.

One day, two days, three days...

Fang Han spent most nights undergoing this grueling, high-intensity training, pushing his vitality and the golden pill's power to the limit.

Gradually, his body grew stronger; the once thin muscles became fuller, the flesh dense and robust, the limbs agile and powerful.

But on the surface, he appeared only slightly more robust, yet internally, he knew his muscles and bones had become much denser, his weight increased by twenty or thirty pounds.

Ten days later, practicing "Golden Toad Diving," Fang Han could carry fifty, even eighty jin of stones and jump around with ease.

The second realm of the physical body, power training, was fundamental and crucial for the cultivation of martial arts, directly affecting one's future achievements.

"A hundred jin!"

A month later, Fang Han carried a hundred jin of stones, easily hopping like a frog, leaping four or five steps at a time, even thirty-six hops without losing breath.

The sand bore the deep imprint of his feet.

Hi!

Then, he hurled the hundred jin stone skyward, and as it whistled downward, he caught it with a crackling of bones, his whole body tensed.

Break!

With a low roar, Fang Han smashed the stone against a tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, and it snapped with a crack.

Bang!

Fang Han stood tall, having thrown the hundred jin stone, his posture commanding, no longer the visage of a lowly slave.

At this moment, he had completed his strength training, every part of his body, from his waist to his abdomen, honed to perfection.

"I have reached the pinnacle of the strength training phase," Fang Han clenched his fists, the sound of his joints crackling resonating with his newfound confidence. "This marks my entry into the third phase of the physical realm—the realm of techniques. I am now poised to cultivate the 'Pine and Crane Longevity Fist' I've learned by stealth, as well as the various moves of the Seven Star Fist. Moreover, my physical prowess is now twice that of the core disciples of the Fang family!"

Fang Han's voice was filled with a conviction born from his recent transformation. The core disciples of the Fang family, even those who had completed their strength training, could not compare to him. Their nourishment was ginseng and bird's nest, whereas Fang Han had consumed the Nine Orifices Golden Pill—a difference that made all the difference.

In terms of raw strength, Fang Han could lift a hundred jin of stone with one hand and perform various movements with ease, a feat beyond the capabilities of the Fang family's core disciples.

Next, he would cultivate various techniques to harness the strength of his entire body, and the result would be formidable, indeed.

Now, every muscle in Fang Han's body was like a pack of untamed tigers and wolves. Once he cultivated techniques, these beasts would become a cohesive elite force, connected and unstoppable.

Gazing at the stars in the sky, Fang Han sat down cross-legged, contemplating the trajectory of the celestial bodies, understanding and absorbing the essence of the Seven Star Fist as taught by Bai Haichen.

His physical cultivation was advancing at an unprecedented pace, the Nine Orifices Golden Pill in his heart being continuously washed by his blood, stimulating an ever more potent medicinal power.

Meanwhile, in the opulent inner residence of the Fang family, which spanned thousands of acres and resembled a dragon palace from a legend, Fang Qingxue, the young lady of the Fang family who had slain Bai Haichen with the "Purple Electric Yin Thunder Blade," sat in quiet contemplation. Beside her was a middle-aged man of imposing dignity, with piercing green eyes and broad shoulders.

This middle-aged man was the head of the Fang family, the current governor of Longyuan Province, Fang Zetao, who was also Fang Qingxue's father. He had cultivated his body to the tenth divine transformation realm.

However, at his age, he was past his prime, and his body was gradually aging. Without some rare and extraordinary medicine, his condition would only deteriorate, not improve.

At this moment, in front of Fang Qingxue, he shed the dignity of a father, for his daughter was an unparalleled powerhouse in the divine secret realm.

"Father, I have become a true disciple of Yu Hua Sect. The head of the sect has granted me a palace atop a peak in Yu Hua Immortal Mountain. I need to bring a group of loyal servants to maintain the palace, tend to the fires, watch the pills, care for the flora and fauna, and feed the spiritual beasts," Fang Qingxue stated.

"Qingxue, have you truly become a true disciple of Yu Hua Sect? That is wonderful news. Our family's position is now unassailable; even the emperor himself must vie for your favor. Selecting loyal servants is at your discretion," Fang Zetao responded, pleasantly surprised. He understood well what being a true disciple entailed.

The ancestors of the Fang family had been no more than external disciples of Yu Hua Sect.

"Furthermore, because I have become a true disciple, the heavenly punishment elder of the sect has granted me a few external disciple quotas, a rare opportunity indeed. I intend to select a few core disciples from our family to join," Fang Qingxue continued.

"External disciple quotas!" Fang Zetao gasped, the significance of this opportunity not lost on him.

"Governor, Miss, an imperial edict from the court to appoint Miss as a princess has arrived! It awaits at the door!" A voice interrupted at that very moment, carrying news of the emperor's decree.

"I am aware. Let the edict wait; I have more pressing matters to attend to," Fang Qingxue dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand.